A high school senior took her curiosity for her unique culture and passion for writing to becoming a published author of not one, but two books - a feat accomplished all before graduation.  St. John’s Knight Rina Olsen sat down with KUAM to share her story. 

She explained, "It’s more about writing more for the joy of it, writing to really immerse yourself in the craft and to answer questions you might have about yourself and the world around you."

For Olsen, a Korean-American high school senior, publishing a book has never been her goal. It’s simply the result of her journey that began with a curiosity about her unique culture that led to a discovery of a love for writing.  She said, "I’m inspired by my background, especially as a Zainichi Korean due to my family being ethnically Korean, but having been living in Japan since the Colonial Period. In attempting to recover my Korean heritage, I started writing to try to make up for my lack of knowledge about the culture."

The 18-year-old has been putting pen to paper whenever she could, even throughout her rigorous studies at St. John's School.  "I mostly wrote when I had free time, so during lunch breaks or at home. It also started in the Covid era so I had a little more time then," she said.

The young author signed a book deal by 16 and her debut novel, Third Moon Passing, was brought to life. 

"It’s about the 1871 American expedition to Korea. Similarly it does try to weave history into fantasy and how the old stories kind of go into the newer developments as Korea was facing these changes politically and socially. So I wove these different folklore and mythological elements into this kind of hero’s journey narrative," she described.

It’s prequel The Water Stricken was recently released just after her 18th birthday. The novel is centered on the 1866 French expedition to Korea with a mythical twist, as she said, "I wanted to explore how magical realism or mythology can affect the way we view history. So it’s narrated from the perspective of the ghost of a concubine. In attempting to unravel this murder, there is this simultaneous plot line of how it relates to its broader historical context."

Despite her achievement, Olsen admits she had her fair shair of ups and downs navigating high school, especially as a Knight. 

"I did struggle to write sometimes as I advanced through the high school system. So I think it mostly remained kind of like a hobby. I often had to prioritize other things over writing. But I did get some advice when I was younger to always try to write something within one day, even a sentence, a paragraph. It doesn’t even have to be a page," she said.

It’s precious advice that’s led her to Princeton University, where she’ll attend this fall to hone her craft.